Electrographic reproduction apparatus are provided with an operator control panel for allowing an operator to program the apparatus for a reproduction run. In its simplest form, the control panel includes several dedicated (hard) buttons and switches for selecting features for a reproduction run, as well as visual indicators for informing the operator which features were selected. The operator control panel can also have a display for displaying alphanumeric and graphical information. The control panel also includes keys and buttons for altering the display to indicate selected options. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,222, issued May 12, 1992, to Wilson et al.) The display may also include a touchscreen overlay having "soft buttons" for providing operator input to the reproduction apparatus. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,880, issued Sep. 3, 1991 to Evanitsky et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,958, issued Oct. 29, 1991 to Bunker et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,220, issued Apr. 14, 1992 to Knodt et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,931, issued Sep. 17, 1991 to Knodt; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,551, issued Apr. 23, 1991 to Goldsmith et al.)
The display can have a screen saver mode which is activated after an operator-defined period of inactivity. This mode reduces display (CRT) degradation that occurs when an image remains on a CRT for an extended period of time. Typically, the screen saver mode remains active until an operator presses a button or touches the display. It would be desirable if the screen saver mode were terminated automatically in response to other reproduction apparatus activity, to eliminate the need to press a button or touch the display when preparing to run a copy job, and to immediately display any new messages to the operator.